


things we love and look after

by tetsuskitten



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Canon Universe, Dancing, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 08:55:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25348063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tetsuskitten/pseuds/tetsuskitten
Summary: Irelia looks like starlight as she dances under the moonlight. Illaoi joins her.
Relationships: Illaoi/Xan Irelia, Xan Irelia/Illaoi
Kudos: 13





	things we love and look after

“That was a beautiful dance, starlight.” Illaoi voices, making her presence known in the small clearing Irelia chose to practice dancing all by herself, in the middle of the night, after a long drawn out day of walking and fighting and a scarce amount of rest. 

Irelia was stubborn but Illaoi was stubborner still. The blade dancer should be resting. But alas, she did look enchanting in the moonlight.

“I... I thought you were asleep.” Irelia answers, a trace of bashfulness in her voice. Illaoi thinks it suits her, but only because she knows emotions such as embarrassment are shown to her, and her alone.

“I thought  _ you _ were asleep.” She returns, one eyebrow cocked. They stand off like that for a bit until Illaoi concedes. If Irelia doesn’t want to sleep (or most likely, can’t), there’s nothing to be done. It would probably be wise to leave her be. If she wanted company, she would have asked.

"I apologize. You wish to dance alone. I am imposing." Illaoi speaks into the night, making to leave the small clearing and go back to where they had set up camp for the evening.

Irelia dashes. In a blink, she's by Illaoi's side, holding her wrist. The moonlight casts bright white shadows over them, and the tension seems to thicken and thin, like waves lapping at the shore.

"Stay." Irelia whispers, and the words are swallowed by the dark, the crickets and the cicadas. Illaoi brushes a thumb over her cheekbone, nods almost imperceptibly and watches her go.

Irelia gets back into a starting position, becomes lost in the drum of the Land beneath her feet, her blades coming together in a halo around her, spinning and glinting in the light from the moon. She spins and leaps and dashes, and all around her, blades look like stars, quick and bright.

Illaoi watches, entranced, and as she does, she can’t help but think  _ I want to be a part of this _ . 

Her body moves without much thought. She is used to fighting around Irelia in battle and in tandem with her. When Irelia blocks the path with blades, Illaoi slams down her idol and calls upon her goddess. When Illaoi ensnares frail bodies in the grasp of her tentacles, Irelia cuts them until they bleed. And they watch, with frightening delight, as blood pools at their feet. Together, they squash enemies like small annoying flies, who are simply in the way. Surely then, it will be smooth to pass from fight to dance, to pick a stance and stand with the blade dancer.

Illaoi watches for an opening, and as Irelia kicks a leg in the air, Illaoi pushes her arm forward, forearm under Irelia’s calf, keeping her leg stretched in mid-air.

Predictably, Irelia is cut off from her flow, surprised eyes giving way to confusion and curiosity all at once. In one swift motion, she is back on her two feet, but she fixes Illaoi with a determined stare. 

She moves away and angles her body to the side. With her hands open, fingers outstretched, she draws a circle in the air, turning at the last second, pushing her arm forward, fist raised as if to strike a jaw punch from below but angled right in front of Illaoi's face rather than underneath it. As she strikes the position, Illaoi connects with her, forearm to forearm. 

There’s a sudden feeling of immense satisfaction.

Irelia takes two seconds to move again, turning her body the opposite way and striking, Illaoi blocking, forearm to forearm, like a spar, like a dance.

Lithe fingers brush against Illaoi’s arm, the side of her torso. Irelia is circling around her, long hair tickling Illaoi’s bare shoulders and the priestess allows it to happen. When Irelia spins away, doing complicated steps under the light of the moon as if under a spotlight, Illaoi’s eyes are soft on her, adoring. But then she is focusing on the way Irelia is running up, leaping in mid-air, arms outstretched. Her arms are held out to catch the dancer before the thought completely registers in her brain, and they spin with the force of it, Irelia moving gracefully and Illaoi less so as she spins the other around in her grasp until she has Irelia safely in a bridal position, knees resting on the crook of her elbow. Illaoi is holding her a few inches above the ground, their foreheads are touching and Illaoi is  _ panting.  _ That leap was like a punch of adrenaline to the gut.

“You can’t just-” She begins, but Irelia kisses her quiet. The dancer is smiling.

“Wasn’t it nice?” Illaoi squeezes her closer.

“Yes, starlight, but a heads up would be nice next time.” Irelia kisses her one more time, rubs their noses together in a pure act of affection and lets herself be carried back to bed. This time, Illaoi keeps her close, drawn up to her chest, though Irelia doesn’t fight her, and falls asleep rather fast. 

They will make a habit of dancing together, Illaoi promises herself. 

It makes Irelia rest easier. 

It makes stars burst in Illaoi’s chest. 

Dancing, she muses as she is pulled under the spell of sleep, is very akin to being in love.

**Author's Note:**

> i used this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzap7Q7ziOY) as a guide for the leap and spin move, if you wanna check it out! it was kinda hard to explain '''^-^
> 
> any feedback is immensely appreciated <3 and thanks for sticking with me!


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